Pluot (W16) Makes Affordable Video Conferencing Hardware That Just Works

With companies increasingly doing business across multiple cities and countries from day one, video conferencing is key. But video conferencing hardware is notoriously bulky, expensive, and designed for companies with full-time IT teams that can handle set up and management. Startups and smaller businesses are left behind, crowding around a single laptop during team meetings, investor pitches, and sales demos.

Pluot is a company that launched out of our Winter 2016 class that makes small, easy-to-set-up video conferencing hardware that just works, and that any company can afford. The
company’s mission is to democratize video conferencing — to put
useful, beautiful, simple video conferencing into every workplace in the
world.

Setting up a Pluot takes just five minutes, and starting or joining a Pluot meeting takes ten seconds. Pluot hardware is free. Customers just pay $50/month per Pluot box, with no limit on users, minutes, or meetings.

In addition, Pluot’s features leapfrog those of much more expensive options. Pluot can drive two TVs, so teams have more screen real estate to work with during meetings, and Pluot supports two simultaneous screen shares. Every Pluot connection is peer-to-peer, secure, and encrypted end-to-end. If you have a conference room, you need a Pluot

You can buy a Pluot for your conference room today at https://pluot.co/. There’s no commitment, no hidden fees, and — as a launch special — shipping is currently free. You can also try out the web browser version of the Pluot experience any time. Visit https://pluot.co/new using Chrome. Your browser will be redirected to a new, unique, Pluot
meeting URL. Copy that URL and send it to someone else. When they click
on the link, they’ll be able to join you in the meeting. (There’s no
software to download, and no sign-in to worry about or remember.)

Pluot’s founders, Doug and Kwin, have known each
other for 20 years, worked together for 15, and been obsessed with
video conferencing and collaboration for a decade. Doug and Kwin
bootstrapped Pluot by designing high-quality hardware that can be manufactured in small quantities. The company assembles Pluots in a garage in San Francisco.